Summer Drabbles
by fairfarrenlovelylydia
Summary: Drabbles I am doing for the Blue Skies Day by Drabble drabblethon over on LJ. Most of them if not all of them will be AiW. So I am posting them here. This will be updated everyday. R&R. Ratings go from K-T right now. Specified at the top of each drabble
1. Blue Skies

**Title:** _Blue Skies_  
><strong>Author<strong>: fairfarrenlovelylydia  
><strong>Prompt:<strong> Prompt #1 ('Blue Skies' by Irving Berlin)

I was blue, just as blue as I could be  
>Ev'ry day was a cloudy day for me<br>Then good luck came a-knocking at my door  
>Skies were gray but they're not gray anymore<br>("Blue Skies" by Irving Berlin)

**Fandom:** Alice in Wonderland  
><strong>Characters:<strong> Alice  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Adventure, General  
><strong>Rating and Warnings:<strong> K (nice a fluffy :D)  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 688  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Alice knows a land that is so much brighter and hopeful than the one she comes from.

Alice lay looking up at the soft sky as her sister mumbled in the background about boring subject matters in picture-less books. The young blonde girl, donning a blue pinafore and white apron, was imagining a world of her own where rabbits wore waistcoats and animals lived in beautiful houses. She was far from the world of rules and expectations that bound her down. She was so enraptured in a world of her own that she barely noticed the small white blur that streaked in her peripheral vision. Sitting up and ignoring her sister's voice completely she spotted a white rabbit wearing a waistcoat and holding a pocket watch in his hand.

"What a curious thing," She noted as she slowly climbed to her feet. The rabbit looked her way, his red eyes enlarging as he spotted her. She came closer, her feet plodding gently on the green grass. He paused sniffing the air while he looked his way.

"I'm going to be late and the Duchess' shall have my head!" He cried as he tucked the pocket watch into his blue outer coat pocket. He then fell to his fours and went bonding off through a large patch of daisies.

"Wait, Mr. Rabbit!" Alice cried and rushed after the rabbit, her feet moving swiftly as she chased after the animal. He paused once more only to look back and she could swear a smile was upon his small mouth. Then he bounded into a rabbit hole. Alice gasped as she went careening forward, unable to stop herself from falling down the rabbit hole.

Down,

Down,

Down,

Alice fell, past cupboards and grandfather clocks, past book cases and tables. It frightened her so and she wished to be back in the land of the lifeless. But just as soon as the tumbling began it ceased and Alice found herself upon the black and white checkered floor of a round room. On the walls were many doors, some large others small, all closed. When she tried several of the handles she found that all were locked as well. Turning she spotted a small table and a smile crossed her pink little mouth. She had been here before no doubt and she knew just what to do. She went to the round glass table and was excited to find a key. Taking it and placing it in her apron pocket she reached for the little vial of liquid which had a tag upon it. The tag read _Drink Me_.

Drink Me she did. And she found herself melting downwards to the size of a large mouse. But she was just the right size for the door behind the curtain. Her childish hand slipped into the pocket of her apron and lay hold of the key. She took it in her fleshy palm and approached the curtain, pulling the thick red fabric aside. It cling open to its own accord laying bare to the elements a small door. Alice rushed forward, key in hand, ready to burst forth into her wonderland. It was grey before in the land of the lifeless but now she was returning to the land of the illustrious. She thrust the small metal key in her hand into its matching hole and turned it. The tumblers inside the door clicked and she found she was able to turn the handle. With growing enthusiasm little Alice thrust open the door. The aromas of Wonderland hit her; the sweet smell of the elegant flowers and the tangy smell of the rude ones joined together. The fresh dirt smell of the earth wafted up to her as she began her descent into the garden. She closed her eyes.

And opened them to find she was lying in the thick green grass back in the world of the lifeless. She had returned to England, it had only been a dream this time. She would however return one day to the vast garden and the beautiful scenery of the land of her dreams. She would be able to find herself among the skies of blue again. They would be grey no longer.


	2. Explosions in the Stars

**Title:** _Explosions in the Stars  
><em>**Author: **Fairfarrenlovelylydia  
><strong>Prompt: <strong>#2 , picture of fireworks  
><strong>Fandom: <strong>Alice in Wonderland 2010  
><strong>CharactersPairings: **Alice  
><strong>RatingsWarnings: **K (mild spoiler if you haven't seen AiW 2010)  
><strong>Word Count: <strong>385  
><strong>Summary: <strong>Alice has made her way to China and has successfully established a trading post with the company. There is celebration among the crew with the Chinese as they have completed their building. Alice, however, contemplates finding her home.

Alice sat on the deck of the boat, her knees drawn up to her chest. She enjoyed the look of the fireworks when she was away from the shore; it seemed to become more magical when it echoed off the waves and foam of the ocean below. She had accomplished making it all the way to China and her father's company had just finished building a trading post that they had established between the English and the Chinese. The culture was vastly unique from her English background and the woman found she was enjoying it very much. But it wasn't home.

Sitting on the deck watching the explosions of blue, red, and white in the sky sunk her heart. She knew it was supposed to be cheering her spirits. She should be cheering for the lights just as everyone else on land and the few sailors on sea were doing. But it wasn't a victory in Alice's eyes. She had gone far across the ocean searching for something to replace the hole in her heart. Hoping to find the one place she belonged.

It wasn't in China, it wasn't in England. A small burning in the hearth of her heart told her that she would only feel safe again when she went back down that rabbit hole. When she returned to the land of believing and stayed.

Then she would be able to enjoy the fireworks that exploded in the inky darkness.

She looked up to watch as the Asian men shot off four of them in a row and gasped in wonder as they burst in unison. They were synchronized and they were deafening. She felt the vibrations in her heart. It seemed to restart the organ but it kept on going. Alice placed her hand to her chest and smiled. It would keep on beating until she returned. She would make it back.

But for now she was missing the fireworks. So she relished the thought of returning for a moment before placing it back in her mind. She would recall it later.

But she would need to remember the fireworks now. She'd have to compare them to her Wonderland's when she made her homecoming.

Only then would her heart be bursting just as vibrantly and vigorously as the explosions among the stars.


	3. Shelter in the Storm

**Title: **_Shelter in the Storm_

**Author: **fairfarrenlovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #3; Shelter

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Characters/Pairings: **Alice/Tarrant

**Rating/Warnings: **K+, mild romance

**Word Count:** 691

**Summary: **Alice and Tarrant are enjoying a lovely summer picnic in Marmoreal until they are interrupted by an unsuspected storm.

Alice let out a cry of fright and amusement as Tarrant led her across the fields of Marmoreal. The two were enjoying a wondrous day in the sun munching upon treacle and tea sandwiches. They were just about to begin Alice's favorite picnic past time which was lying on the blanket looking up at the clouds and identifying their shape when she noticed there was an awfully _large_ amount of clouds.

That was when the wind picked up and the small droplets fell, _plip plip_, against the fabric of the blanket. Tarrant had given a shout of dismay as he hurriedly began to shove the leftover food and overturned tea cups into the wicker basket. Alice had taken the blanket and was doing her best with arms outstretched to shield the milliner from the sprinkling of rain.

But to her dismay it only began to fall harder.

"Run Alice!" He cried and took hold of her hand. She shrieked in delight as they made their way, both barefoot, across the slippery blades of emerald on which the crystal drops fell. The smell that often comes with rain and its electricity in the air accompanied the downpour. Alice inhaled deeply as she felt the hair on her arms stand on end.

Then the thunder clap as loud as a Bandersnatch broke the serene _plop plop_ of the rain.

"We have to find shelter!" She laughed in delight, her hair was now drenched and hanging limply on her bare shoulders. The dress held up by no sleeves just a band weighed heavily on her body and she grasped it with her hand.

Tarrant tore across the field spying a small shed for the herdsmen that grazed their flocks in the lush grass of Marmoreal. Swiftly he angled his running so that it led them to its dry underbelly. Rain was flying off the brim of his top hat in a steady stream and he turned to see Alice soaked to the bone. The dress clung to her heaving chest as she moved her legs hurriedly to keep up with him.

"We're nearly there," He encouraged her. Frowning he realized looking back that he had neglected the basket as well and she had let go of the black and weight checkered blanket to keep her pale purple dress from sliding off. It was now just the partygoers left that were making their dash to dryness.

With a final heave off the ground the two tore into the lean to just as a bolt of lightning weaved a web across the sky. Alice gasped in amazement at its blue white streak and Tarrant found himself gaping in wonder. She turned to him with a smile.

"I am glad we found shelter," He began to uselessly shake the water from his outer coat. She laughed at his vain attempt of drying and instead pulled the drenched layer from his body. She removed his soaked waistcoat as well. There was a large dry area on his pale blue shirt where the waistcoat had done its job of shielding. He smiled and pulled the shivering Alice close. She shuddered as the warm of his dry arms and chest soaked away some of the rain and added to her heat.

"I will always have my shelter, as long as I have you." She murmured and smiled up to him. He stared into her green eyes. "I am not afraid of a summer storm, my mad man; because I know you'll be there to shield me."

He could answer her not but instead cupped her jaw bone and pulled her pink lips against his. Her lips pressed firmly against his and her arms went to envelope his neck as he pulled her closer by the waist. They kissed as the pounding of the rain on the roof kept time with the pounding of the rumbling of the thunder and the pounding of the droplets on the lawn harmonized. It was a chilling cacophony that serenaded them in their warm hide away.

As long as they were together they would forever have shelter from the trials and terrors of summer thunderstorms.


	4. It's You

**Title: **_It's You_

**Author: **fairfarrenlovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #4 "If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance."  
>(Bern Williams)<p>

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Characters/Pairings: **Tarrant, Alice, implied Tarrant/Alice

**Ratings/Warnings: **K+ (an innuendo or two….)

**Word Count: **742

**Summary: **It's the lovely month of June as Tarrant sleeps at the table of the Tea Party. He slumbers as he waits for the return of the girl who kicked the deck of cards. But he expects a girl only to see a woman approach.

May was boasted to be merry but it was June that spoke of love's beginning. That was what month of Upperland it had been for him (had it not?) when the girl he remember was young tumbled back down that rabbit hole. He heard the land cheering in her return but he had not seen her. He imagined her the first time she had come- the small blue pinafore with a white apron, her blonde waves all in a tangle about her round smiling face. She was indeed one of the cutest little girls he had ever seen.

But that girl who crested the hill under the brillig sun was no longer. It was a woman of fleeing teenage years that had come to stand before his table. No wonder the silly little dormouse had come back screaming about "The Wrong Alice!"

She was not wrong, she was the same, though she lacked a little muchness in her countenance. And she was three inches small. But she looked beautiful. Gone were the round fatty cheeks of a young girl to be replaced by the soft curve of her face. She had shed the tender flesh of a young girl and much of it had gone to her breasts, hid behind the flowing garment. But he could see the faint outline and knew they were there. Her hair was much more tame and graced the gentle dip of her collarbones, apparent now with the loss of childhood padding. She was a woman now. She was breath taking and he knew that his heart was all hers. He couldn't help but lean forward excitedly in the great arm chair. He could feel his body exploding with energy as he put to death the last urges of sleep. She had returned.

Her face gave away her fright and surprise as he clambered upon the table, eager to close the distance between himself and her. Getting down on one knee to see her face more clearly he smiled into the eyes that had grown green over years. She looked up at him with surprise and dismay but held her ground just the same. She was certainly the girl he once knew and a woman he longed to know better. "It's you."

"No et's nawt! McTwisp brough' us tha wrong Ahlice!" He heard Mallymkun cry.

"Et's tha wron' Ahlace!" Thackery echoed her reply. He was feeling a bit dizzy, his heart beat racing fast, but this was most certainly his love, his Alice.

"You're absolutely Alice," He looked down at the girl squinting his eyes in assurance. "I'd know you anywhere," He wished to know her anywhere. He wasn't quite sure what he was going to say next. He looked to her and she looked at him quizzically. "I'd know him anywhere." He called back. He was shaking with the glee and giddiness he bottled inside. He dared reach out and grabbed her hands, helping her along to the best seat at the party. "As you can see we are still having tea and it was all because I was obliged to kill Time waiting for you return."

He was every so glad he had and he would do it all over again just to see her return. He knew he wanted her to stay.

"You're terribly late you know," He helped her across the table into her chair but scolded her gently as well. "Naughty!" He shook his pointer finger her way. He could only imagine how naughty she could be. But he had to push that thought from his mind.

Time was not ready for her to focus on him. They still had to focus on the Frabjous.

Though, it would be awfully hard to do so with his heart beat bouncing his ears like they were. His heart would beat louder every time they brushed fingers, shared smiles, locked eyes. He knew that in the lovely month of June she had been struck by the spell. If only he could kiss her. But alas she was called home in the end.

Only to return to her world the next month of June that passed her land's way. She returned on a night scattered with stars. He knew that their romance was eternal conceived on a brillig in June a year's past.

June was once again bursting with beginnings of kisses and embraces and things that came with being with the one he loved most.


	5. Castle in the Sand

**Title: **_Castle in the Sand _

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt:** Blue Skies #5: Picture of a Sand Castle

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Characters/Pairings: **Alice, Margaret, Charles, Helen, implied Alice/Tarrant romance

**Ratings/Warnings: **K

**Word Count: **1000

**Summary: **Alice's memory of a day at the beach…..

The beach was far different from London but a welcome escape for the blonde. Her father insisted that they go, even though he was being crushed under the force of his work, so that Margaret and Alice could see the waves. He had brought them out on the sand in their brand new swimming outfits and pointed to the foamy waters.

"This is what your Father's company sails upon." He had said as he knelt down to little Alice's height. Margaret who was a foot taller and several years older rolled her eyes.

"We've escorted you to your boat many times before, Father," She had huffed, brushing her dark curls from her eyes. "We know what the ocean is!"

Charles couldn't help but laugh at his oldest. He turned his gaze to Alice who stared at the waters in excitement.

"Go on then, play in the ocean!" He had encouraged the girl with a nudged to the back. Alice had raced forward only to let out a shriek as her small little toes hit the icy cold waters.

"You need to adjust to the temperature!" Margaret called but Alice held her hands before her small chest and hesitantly dipped her large toe in the water, letting out another shriek. This led to hours of playing tag with the waves for Alice. Margaret didn't appear much interested in the frothy waters and had contented herself to sitting near the shoreline, building a mound with a stick and a small shovel. Alice hadn't turned her curiosity to the growing sand tower until she had been conquered by the water that had risen high enough to catch her about her ankles, tickling the soft skin with its extreme cold. Alice left the undulating waves and went to where Margaret was making her mound. Nervously the small girl looked to see if her parents were around but they had moved further up the beach, hand in hand under their mother's parasol.

Alice, having checked the whereabouts of her parents, came closer to Margaret and her sculpture in progress.

"What are you making?" Alice inquired as she sat in the sand and drew her knees to her chest.

"A castle." Margaret answered matter-o-factly. "Do you want to help? You can dig a trench for the moat." She handed Alice the shovel.

Alice looked upon the castle that sat in the sand; it definitely was becoming more identifiable as Margaret shaped the corners.

"Are you to make it large?" Alice asked as she dug her shovel into the sand scooping a large pile of it away. Margaret looked at her quizzically. "You have a lot of sand piled underneath it," She indicated to the large mound that the small, square castle sat upon. Margaret was beginning to shape the turrets.

"The castle is on a hill," She didn't look up from her work as she gently shaped the walls of the fortress. "That way is an enemy comes they can see it from afar."

"Or if a friend comes they can be sure to turn the kettle on in time," Alice said with a smile. Margaret looked at her sister from the corner of her eyes.

"Right, I suppose. Now are you going to dig that trench or not?" She asked her younger sister. Alice nodded her head with force and began to furiously dig along the line in the sand her sister had made with a stick indicating the boundaries.

Their parents had returned hours later to find that the girls were putting finishing touches on their Castle of Sand. Her father admired Alice's moat that formed a lopsided circle around the castle and then fed into the ocean. Alice had lined it with rocks so the trench would stay filled with water. He had given Margaret a kiss upon the top of her head as she finished the designs on the last watch tower.

"I see my two princesses made a castle for themselves," He admired their work, sitting in the sand between them.

"I tried my best to fortify the structure so it will be here when we return tomorrow." Margaret said to her father, leaning her head upon his arm. Alice sat on the other side of him and mirrored her sister. Their mother looked down with a laugh as they sat in the afternoon sun.

"One day I am going to have a castle like that," Alice said to her father. He kissed her upon the crown. Their mother spoke now, shaking her head.

"You girls had better get your swimming in now; you'll be spending much time under the parasol tomorrow! You both look like boiled lobsters." She laughed.

"Now Helen, is that any way to talk to royalty?" Their father winked at her as he gazed up at his wife. Helen rolled her eyes but then playfully took in her hands the edge of her swimming outfit skirt.

"I'm sorry _your Majesties,_" She said with humor as she curtsied at the two girls. The girls and their father had a good laugh as Charles pulled Helen into the sand.

"Last one in the ocean has to clean the lavatory." He shouted and raced toward the ocean. All the girls let out a shriek, scrambling to get to the chilly waves. Even their mother was in high spirits that day. The Castle of Sand had stood the entire four days they vacationed.

Alice recalled the memory with bittersweet emotion. She missed her family but she loved the one she had made here, in her Wonderland. She stood on the balcony of Marmoreal next to Tarrant as they looked out into the starry sky. Reaching out she took his hand, smiling as she saw the crown that glittered upon his top hat. She raised her hand to feel the tiara that graced her own blonde curls. She was indeed a princess, like her father told her. She temporarily reigned in the Castle of Marble as she recalled the Castel of Sand.


	6. Wildfire

**Title: **_Wildfire_

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Prompt #6; Wildfire

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Tarrant Hightopp/The Mad Hatter

**Ratings/Warnings:** K+ (subject matter)

**Word Count: **318

**Summary: **The Tugley Woods are burning

Destruction: that was all that was left. The smoldering of the wildfire in the warm August day. It didn't feel like it was supposed to be warm. Nor did it feel like the sun should be shining in the sky. It was hidden now by the smoke which lifted from the smoldering trees. He couldn't breathe well through the thick cloud but it was only doubled by the pounding of his heart. It beat loudly in his ears. They were gone. That monster had come to destroy the Queen but instead left his home burning in the wildfire.

They lay in pieces, in ashes on the ground of his feet. Nothing was left of their memory except all that he had in his scattered mind.

He should have been among them. His black dust should lying among theirs.

But he had grabbed Mirana in his moment of fright. Her horse had stumbled; her crown had fell with a muffled _clang_ in the grass, she had faltered. He grabbed wildly the reigns of her steed and ran with her. He had lost his hat in the process. It had lit fire, he had seen it as he turned in panic. It was gone.

He stood in the burning wood. Not breathing.

That's when he noticed it. Its brim was tarnished, its salmon ribbon slightly charred. But it stood among the ruins. Its familiar gentle golden Boteh design over the maroon brown silk outside. He slowly approach it, the smell of smoke and charred skin permeated the air. Kneeling down he reached out for the hat, taking it gingerly in his hands. With renewed assurance he placed it firmly atop his mass of orange waves. He looked out into the ashen remains of the Tugley Wood.

Revenge was best served cold but it was much too hot today.

The wildfire was spreading.

And so was the madness in his mind.


	7. Baby Steps

**Title: **_Baby Steps _

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #7;

One of these mornings  
>You're going to rise up singing<br>Then you'll spread your wings  
>And you'll take to the sky<br>But till that morning  
>There's a'nothing can harm you<br>With daddy and mamma standing by  
>(<em>Summertime<em> by George Gershwin)

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Characters/Pairings: **Alice/Tarrant, OC

**Rating/Warning: **K (I introduce a character that I haven't revealed yet in my own work SO it may frustrate some readers….is that considered a warning? Ha ha)

**Word Count: **532

**Summary: **Alice's stubborn streak has been passed on.

Alice held the little boy on her lap. He was encroaching on ten months old and he babbled into his hand as she sat alone at the tea table. It was mid morning and the scene was oddly quiet. The Hare was on his mail duties and her own husband was on his own route this morning. If he had finished he was certainly in his hat shop. He had already taken off so many hours since their son came to them.

Alice kissed the boy's round smooth head covered with downy fine reddish hairs, humming to him softly. She had brought him outside in order to give him some fresh air; the two had been cooped up inside for several days due to early summer rain showers. The small Hightopp had begun practice more standing on his own, wobbly on his chubby legs. Alice laughed as he squirmed against her and placed him on the ground. He stood on the dirt, his bare feet swatting at the dirt below him. Alice laughed as he pulled against his hands. He was trying to walk away on his own.

"I'm sorry, my little terror, but you can't walk on your own yet." She said gently, but stood in order assist him in his toddling. The warm sun beat down on the two as it rose higher in the sky. But the small child insisted on toddling. Alice sighed.

"Why is it you are so intent on walking on your own when you can't hold interest in anything else for more than a minute?" She said in exasperation. The boy pulled harder against her hand and went crashing into the dirt as his sweaty hands slipped from hers. He fell to the ground and sat for a startled second before letting out a cry of dismay. Alice quickly scooped to pick her child up and held him close.

"That was quite a tumble," A voice from afar caused her to lift her head. Tarrant stood smiling at the two and Alice laughed.

"He was bit too eager to do things on his own." She said, bouncing the crying babe on her arm as she supported him against her hip. Tarrant approached his wife and child, extending his hands to take the boy. Alice held him out and the Hatter took him in his arms.

"One day you will be old enough," He said with a smile. "And all will be well. But that moment is here yet." He placed a kiss upon the forehead of the boy.

"But your Mum and Da are here until you are grown," Alice stood next to Tarrant, reaching out to touch the back of the boy's head. "And nothing will come to harm you my Tristan as long as we are by your side." She promised. Tarrant wrapped his free arm around Alice as young Tristan was now pacified.

"It's near lunch, my dears, I think it is time for us to go and get some tea with sandwiches."

"I heartily agree," Alice nodded. With Tarrant's arm still around her and Tristan still in his arms, the budding Hightopp clan set off to return to their Windmill home.


	8. Under the Surface

**Title: **_Under the Surface _

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #8; Underwater kiss

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Tarrant/Alice

**Rating(s)/Warning(s):** T- for kissing, tomfoolery and a mention of bare breasts.

**Word Count: **406

**Summary: **Tarrant and Alice escape the heat in the waves of the lake of Marmoreal on a sweltering day.

Alice smiled at Tarrant as they floated in the water. He had convinced her to come down to the lake of Marmoreal in order to escape the heat of the sweltering summer day. She had agreed readily, eager to find shelter and comfort in the cold waves of the water. He had procured a swimming outfit for her and the two made their way to the water. Before long they were splashing and giggling and performing all sorts of tomfoolery. Alice hadn't had this much fun at the beach since her father…

But that was another story and she lived in happiness with the memories she had obtained of him.

Tarrant swam circles around her now and began to dive underneath grabbing at her toes. She shrieked in fright at first which caused him to resurface with a mad laugh. Alice had soon dived underneath as he did to keep him from tickling her feet. They began a game now of waving underwater as well as singing and shouting, their voices muffled in the blue depths.

Tarrant pulled Alice close at the sun rose in the sky and placed his arms about her waist. Alice smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, wrapping her hands in his red hair now plastered to the back of his neck. He kissed her neck hungrily which elicited a moan from Alice. With a mischievous smile she pulled away from him but grabbed his wrist before plunging under once again.

Tarrant still wanted his kiss however.

He pulled against her and she spun in the weightless water, now floating under the surface. Her eyes were opened and staring into her husband's striking green ones as he reached out to clasp her hands. He pulled her close now, kissing her below the waves. Alice kissed back as well as one can under the water where there is no air to breath. But his kisses usually left her breathless anyways.

She knew they would resurface and she would drag him up to the beach. Her body was yearning now for more than kisses on the lips.

But for now she relished the feel of his lips under the surface as they began a joining in a fascinating new way.

Alice noted that she would be returning to the lake more often in the summer. Tarrant would confess later as he kissed her bare breasts that he heartily agreed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I also wrote a _Fringe_ drabble for this as well which can be found here... thelovelylydia .livejournal .com/ 27593. html


	9. Maddening Travel

**Title: **_Maddening Travel_

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #9, Road Trip

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Character(s)/Pairing(s):** Alice

**Rating/Warning(s):** K+ (Alice has experienced a little violence.)

**Word Count: **277

**Summary: **Journeying down the rabbit hole is not as fun as it would seem.

Travelling through Underland wasn't something Alice was really enjoying. First she had fallen down the rabbit hole, next she was thrown through a ceiling at sickening speeds only to be tossed carelessly on to the floor. She had faced a guessing game of bottles and cakes, shrinking and growing respectively. All for the bloody key that only led to more walking.

This was no exciting journey, she thought as she nursed the Bandersnatch scratch that burned on her right arm, glad for the bandages.

Yes, of course she had to face that beast in her travels. After she was terribly insulted by a three inch high caterpillar smoking a hookah which lead to several talking creatures and flowers assaulting her with accusations.

"The wrong Alice!"

Indeed she was the wrong Alice.

Now she was sent down another path by a disappearing cat. Only to go and visit a March Hare and a Mad Hatter. She didn't wish to be among mad people!

_Would the journey end? _The though pelted her mind as she made her way over the crest of a hill. In the distance she saw an untidy table littered with tea pots in various states- some so broken she couldn't imagined them to be of any use. Cupcakes, scones, and toast filled in the gaps between the tableware filling them with smears of frosting and sprinklings of crumbs.

At least perhaps she could now get something to eat. Perhaps one of them would bring her to her regular size? She was at a very terrible height, three feet too small.

And she was vowing to never begin a journey by following a white rabbit again.


	10. My Eternal Summer

**Title: **_My Eternal Summer_

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #10;

_And summer's lease hath all too short a date:  
>Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,<br>And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;  
>And every fair from fair sometime declines,<br>By chance, or nature's changing course untrimm'd;  
>But thy eternal summer shall not fade…<em>  
>(<em>Sonnet XVIII<em> by William Shakespeare)

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Alice/Tarrant

**Rating/Warning(s):** T (non detailed sex)

**Word Count: **541

**Summary: **Alice and Tarrant are joining under the moon on one of the last nights of summer.

Summer was drawing to a close, Alice could tell by the shortening days and the less amounts of people enjoying holidays.

They called summer something different here but it was still short of the same. The people played in the sun when it was much too wonderful outside to concentrate on their work. They pranced in the pools when it was too hot to be outdoors. She looked down at her own skin, now freckled and a bit more golden than it was when she had returned home. Her mother would have a fit to know that she had let her sun go red under the sun. But gently it was settling into a nice shade of brown.

She was laying in the heat of the night, the crescent moon smiling down on her naked body as she had settled out in a field. Rather, she had settled alone; Tarrant basked in his nude glory next to her in the moonlight. They were enjoying one of the last warm nights of the holiday season before they would grow chilly. Then they would seek refuge near the fire, trapping heat in their bed.

It was much too hot to do what they were in a bed however. Alice smiled warmly to herself as Tarrant gently nipped and licked the skin of her neck. She laughed at him and rolled him over, straddling herself on his torso.

"I am going to miss rolling around in the grass in a midnight romp with you," Alice smiled as she took his hand in hers. His hips were undulating beneath her causing the warm feeling to rise in the pit of her stomach.

"These months will return again next year, my love. They are a cycle," He moaned as he pushed into her depths. Alice braced her body on his chest, leaning forward to look down on him.

"But that will be a long time to wait." She said with a smile. "Summer is much too short."

"Indeed it is." He paused in his ministrations with a frown. "But everything is run by Time, He knows that some things cannot last forever. Things that He can control." He whispered as he rolled over. Alice lay under him now, the soft grass tickling her back as he moved again inside of her. His rough hands were caressing her still fair breasts causing Alice to squeak in delight.

"Ohn than' es fer certain," He leaned close to her and moved more quickly. Alice felt her body pulsing with his, the warmth in her middle was spreading and she was close to the edge. "tha' no ma'er wha' season et es, Ah wehl always louve yeh." He kissed her neck roughly.

Alice grabbed his shoulders as he pushed harder and in minutes she was moaning his name. His release came soon after and he shouted her name through the quiet night air. Alice heaved with air as the feeling of euphoria spread from the tip of her head to the ends of her curling toes. Tarrant rolled off of her, recovering for another round. She reached out across the grass where he lie beside her now and took his hand in hers.

"You will always be my eternal summer."


	11. Jumping

**Title: **_Jumping_

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #11, abandoned building

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Alice/Tarrant

**Rating/Warning(s): **K+ for a kiss, warning because I have characters not yet revealed in my series _Mad Sort of Love_ series mentioned

**Words: **718

**Summary: **Tarrant introduces Alice to one of his childhood thrills.

Alice looked at the abandoned building that Tarrant had taken her to. It was strange looking; it was ovular in design with hundreds of windows. Tracks similar to railways trailed out from under the building's overhang. A storage center jutted off to the side. It was made of a strange sort of stone as well.

But next to the strange edifice there was the chilliest appearing pond. It looked to be a haven from the heat that plagued Underland. A small ladder floated on the edge of the water in order for swimmer's to be able to resurface to land once again.

"So what are we doing?" Alice said eyeing the building with curiosity as they neared it.

"We are going building jumping." Tarrant informed her. He had brought her out to the Western end of Underland near the Goblin Country. "A bunch of old Goblins made this as a sort of gathering place for their mining quarters. Notice the tracks." He pointed to the metal ribbons that she was entertaining herself with by attempting to balance upon them. He took her hand as she placed one bare arched foot carefully in front of the other.

"So we are going to climb up there and jump into the water?" Alice asked again as she jumped down to the ground. They had reached the stairwell entrance and Tarrant began to ascend the stone ledges.

"Yes we are, it's great fun." He assured her.

She followed him warily but was glad to be sporting a new swimsuit made by her very own hands. It was navy blue and white striped and she added her own little flair by having the neck line plunge dangerously low. The skirt came to her mid thigh as well. She felt absolutely attractive in her new outfit and Tarrant had assured her earlier that she was. He had donned his own peacock blue and white striped outfit joking about how now they appeared like the Tweedles gone blue.

"Is it safe?" She asked and found to her own silent delight that the rock caused her voice to bounce in an echo. Tarrant laughed.

"It is completely safe. I used to come here with Kenzie, Mave, and Rhiannon every summer."

"I doubt your mother would have wanted you three doing it."

"That's the beauty of having siblings that aren't as strict as Margaret; they don't tell on you." He said with a wink. Alice's heart began to race as she realized they were at the top of the platform now. All they had to do was crawl through the windows onto the edge and leap. Tarrant took his trademark top hat off his wild red waves and set it on the floor next to the towels, blankets, and basket he had carried along. Alice joined him as he came to stand before the windows.

"Right, so let us just get our way through this," He said and began to push his body through the square windows. Alice, her heart pounding did the same.

"Is it a bad time to tell you that I hate heights?" She asked.

"You are the girl who does the impossible. A small quickening of the heart at high places isn't going to stop you." He held out his hand as soon as she had braced herself against the wall for her to take. Nervously Alice reached out to take it. "On the count of three we shall jump."

"Don't even ask if I am ready," Alice warned. Tarrant chortled madly at her.

"Fine. One. Two. THREE!" He jumped and pulled her along with him. She fell through the air, feeling as though she were flying, with a blood curdling scream that was cut short as her feet hit the icy depths and her body plugged her nose as she plunged into the water. She was startled by the sensation at first and came up for air sputtering. Tarrant had resurfaced before she had and raced to find her.

"You alright, my fair one?"

"Yes," She said wiping water away from her orifices with her hand. "I never thought that flying could be so terrifying and enthralling at once…let's do it again." He laughed at her eagerness and kissed her mouth before swimming to the ladder to begin the jump once again.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I also wrote a Fringe drabble for this here: thelovelylydia. livejournal. com/ 28155. html**


	12. Sultry not Sweltering

**Title: **_Sultry not Sweltering_

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #12; sultry

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Character(s)/Paring(s): **Alice/Tarrant

**Rating/Warning(s): **T (nudity, non explicit sexual content, excessive heat!)

**Words: **732

**Summary: **Alice finds herself naked on a wicker couch on a day that is much too hot.

Alice was hot. Correction, Alice was _sweltering_ hot and she was finding no means of relief. A dip in the pool had not helped. Going with her husband to the ocean did not help; the few breezes in the mostly stagnant air did not help.

No there was no escape.

That was why Alice sat in the cabin she and Tarrant were occupying off the beach in the nude. Everything was sticky with sweat and her skin clung to other skin as they touched. The curve in her thighs, her breasts upon her rib cage, even her elbow to the curve of her ribcage stuck to one another. So she lay sprawled out on white wicker couch in the sun room making the best of the breezes.

That was until Tarrant came into the room. He was wearing only his knickers, his pale skin emphasized by the blinding sun. He held in his hand a glass of water entering with a frown upon his lips. However his mouth soon moved into a large smile as he noticed Alice, legs parted, lounging in the room. He gulped and set his water down with eagerness. Gently he slid his last article of clothing off and Alice giggled as he stood in the nude.

"Ah suppose tha' et's much kewler wi'out meh knickers," He burred sitting on the ground next to the couch. Alice noticed that he didn't wear his top hat that day and she twirled her fingers in his mess of hair. He purred even louder.

Alice's own core was wetting in want as she took in the scent of a sweaty husband and she found that she was not longer sweltering rather she was sultry. She leaned down to lick the cure of Tarrant's ear and he shuddered.

"You smell absolutely appetizing," Alice whispered and she smiled with pleasure as he turned to look at her. She could see his eyes glowing emerald green with desire.

"You appear wonderfully wan, my love." He said and climbed onto the couch next to her. It was too hot to lay side by side so Alice merely climbed above him. She was delighted to find he was more than ready and she found the heat to be an aphrodisiac. She welcomed his tasting of her mounds but it was all she needed. With eagerness she had straddle his loins, groaning with the filling sensation between her legs.

"Thi' isnnae teh bes' way teh kewl dowhn." Tarrant burred but she began to move in a riding motion. This elicited groans from his mouth now. He gripped her hips as she move up and down. Alice herself let loud moans of pleasure release from her lips. The heat had made her too tired to care about those around who could hear. She wanted to be brought to a higher level with Tarrant, it would get her mind off the heat and would satisfy her eager catch.

Tarrant had sat himself up and eagerly began to tease her breasts; Alice found the tightness growing in her stomach as he stimulated her body as only he knew how. He had begun to move in unison with her thrusts upon his hips by adding his own shove deeper into her. She was purring with pleasure as he moved from her mounds to her mouth, kissing her deeply. Alice sucked hard on his bottom lip before their tongues began a war for dominance. The warmth in Alice's stomach began to increase exponentially and soon she felt her body swimming with ecstasy. She let go us his mouth, her face straining upward as she let out a breathy whimper as he had hit her release with a final push. He nibbled at her softly exposed neck before his own gasping pants filled the room. She was moaning his name as he caressed her body, clinging to her tightly as he came. Alice kissed him again as she straddled him. Both were now gasping for air as they came down from their highs. They clung together and Alice realized that she didn't mind the heat so much anymore.

But it still hadn't killed her libido. She lay with Tarrant, kissing him and caressing his hair and shoulders and chest as he began to recover from their first tryst.

She was glad she had found a useful way spend the too hot summer days.


	13. The Queen They Needed

**Title: **_The Queen They Needed_

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #13;

_One minute I held the key  
>Next the walls were closed on me<br>And I discovered that my castles stand  
>Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand<em>  
><em>Viva la Vida<em> by Coldplay (my lovers 3)

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Mirana of Marmoreal

**Rating/Warning(s): **K+ for mature themes.

**Word Count: **132

**Summary:** Mirana returns on the Horunvendush Day

Mirana looked down at the singed grass of the Hightopp clan's gather center in the middle of the burned down houses. Nothing was left save for a top hat that The Mad Hatter had been able to salvage among the wreck.

Everyone had died because that beast wanted to get her.

She felt her head that once bore her tiara but now was empty. Her flowing white locks had nothing to grace them. She had once been the queen of everything. But in the blink of an eye and the blinding flash of a breath she had lost all that she had inherited. The walls were closing in on her. She had nothing to stand upon but burned earth.

She could no longer be the Queen that her people needed her to be.


	14. Becoming a Home

**Title: **_Becoming a Home_

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #14; image of someone pushing a lawn mower

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Tarrant/Alice

**Rating(s)/Warning(s): **K :)

**Word Count:** 121

**Summary: **Chores bring about appreciation

Tarrant wiped the sweat from his brow as he pushed the sharp bladed lawn mower around the edge of the lawn. He was rewarded with the smell of the flowers that grew on the edge of the property; their tangy sweet scent teased his senses while the light breeze that brought it over cooled his body.

Glancing over he saw Alice bending over in the garden, pulling weeds and doing the best she could to keep the blue tulle dress she wore from dancing in her way on the small breezes.

It was hot but chores were being done; the Windmill house was finally becoming his home.

Alice had finally given him the thing he had lost long ago- a family.


	15. Just Being

**Title: **_Just Being _

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #15; "meadow"

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Alice/Tarrant, unborn baby

**Rating(s)/Warning(s): **K+ (for kissing); this fict contains things not yet covered in my series set :)

**Word Count: **763

**Summary: **Alice, heavy with child, spends her time just being Alice in a meadow.

Alice stretched out in the soft blades of the meadow in Marmoreal, the light scent of the gossiping flowers tickling her nose. She had been here so short a time but this truly was her Wonderland- this was a place that she could call home.

She twined her fingers in the grass, her large blue bonnet shading her eyes from the sun as she gently kicked her sandals from her feet using her toes. With the other hand she gently touched the giant curve of her belly that lay under the blue tulle fabric of her dress. She felt heavy from the baby pushing on her organs but the grass beneath her young body brought a cushioned comfort to her strained back. It was only a matter of time before she would return to her slimmer self, albeit a few more womanly curves due to her little child.

So few years she had been here but she was already regaining what she had lost in England- acceptance, understanding, a family, hope.

As she brought her left hand to curve her swollen abdomen the diamond encased ring glinted in the summer sun. She was happy; no she was blissful. Nothing could strip her of the immense euphoria she had obtained.

Her hands rested on her midsection as she closed her eyes basking in the warmth of the large star above her. A small series of kicks and flutters in the midst of her womb brought a smile to her face. She could hear her husband calling her that it was time to return to the Tugley Wood but she didn't move. She wanted to enjoy the moment; life was not about hurrying.

He came to her and she glanced up not able to see the fiery red of the wild waves that lie beneath the large top hat due to the brightness of the sun.

"Alice," He said with a smile. She extended her hand upwards and he took it ready to become her support as their child often obstructed her mobility. Instead of using it to lift herself, however, her hands wrapped around his wrist and she gave a yank. Down he came beside her as she upset his balance. He landed with a thud in the grass, his large hat rolling through the meadow coming to land brim side down on the green grass. "What are you doing?" He asked as his lips parted to reveal a gap toothed smile.

"Being." She said and turned her head to look into his green eyes. "I am being. Come be with me, Tarrant." She reached out to grab his pale, strained hand. The skin was rough in her soft palm; a sensation so familiar to her. His rough hands performed wonders all over her body; leading to his baby coming to be. He smiled at her, leaning over to kiss her lips. She inhaled the scent of him now; tea, mercury, sweets, and a strong scent of perspiration as his lavender dress shirt and coffee brown waist coat increased his body temperature. She closed her eyes and focused on his rough lips against hers and felt his hand come to caress her swollen belly. She was proud that he was the father, she was proud that she had found a man she could be with for the rest of her life.

But she didn't want to think that far ahead. She just wanted to be here now. So she went back to feeling his lips now parting on hers and mimicked his actions allowing his warm tongue to slip into her mouth. The taste of him was causing her senses to reel and she slid a hand up his chest to unbutton several of his shirt buttons. She placed her hand on the warm, pale skin of his chest and ran it across the slight hairs that grew. His body was so familiar and still always fascinating to her. She wanted to taste him more as he broke away from her mouth, looking down at her with misted eyes. He then headed further south of her body, his kisses trailing over her milk filled breasts, the beginning curve of her pregnant abdomen, and came to rest on the fabric that tickled her protruding belly button. She interlocked the fingers of their hands and felt peace.

They were together forever. But more importantly, they were together now.

Tarrant returned to her mouth and neck, gracing the skin and lips with more open mouthed wet kisses. Alice shuddered with delight.

For now, they were just being.


	16. Solitude

**Title: **_Solitude_

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #16;

_I walk without flinching through the burning cathedral of the summer. My bank of wild grass is majestic and full of music. It is a fire that solitude presses against my lips. _  
>(Mad in Pursuit by Violette Leduc)<p>

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Alice

**Rating/Warning(s): **K+ for themes

**Word Count: **381

**Summary: **Young Alice sits along while everyone else enjoys company around her

Alice sat in the grass while she watched the other girls and boys celebrating a glorious summer day in the grand lawn of the Polwrath's estate. Not too far was a gaggle of girls, giggling and placing daisies among the blonde, ginger, and black plaits of one another's hair. Some were even giggling about the boys who were further out under the sun playing a rough game of cricket.

Alice joined neither group, however. The boys always underestimated her capability which meant she never truly was able to participate in a game of cricket. The girls thought she was the strangest little child ever and she would prefer the boy's absolute neglect of her presence over the young aristocratic prissy sneers of the young females. Alice was already feeling the pressure of fitting in.

And she disappointed her sister and her mother by not being able to anywhere.

So she sat in the grass, legs splayed out before her, watching the clouds roll over her head, pearls in the expansive azure sky. She watched as one of the white cotton balls morphed into what appeared to be a rabbit which caused a smile to pass across her pink lips. She was remembering her dream, though to her dismay it was slowly becoming a nightmare, and hoping that perhaps the place was real. She would certainly be able to find _someplace_ to fit in there.

She would never be able to fit into the society in which she had been born. With a sigh (and shrieks from the girls when they noticed) she pulled her powder blue skirt up to her hips and began to work her white stockings off. They were hot and bothersome on a day where the sun beat down to bake the earth. They were completely unnecessary as well.

She cast them off, taking note that the girls had moved their whispers further from where she sat. Though Alice didn't agree with their harsh judgments and insolent insults she didn't enjoy being alone all the time. She didn't choose to be as she always told her mother, she just was.

Solitude was a life Alice was becoming accustomed to and it would consume her as the sun's rays lit the tree that stood alone, setting its limbs ablaze.


	17. Missing

**Title: **_Missing_

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #17; picture of an airport terminal

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Alice/Tarrant, Mirana/Gavin

**Rating/Warning(s): **T (heavy sexual innuendo and suggestion)

**Word Count: **999

**Summary: **Alice has been long awaiting her husband's return.

Alice paced as she waited in the halls of Marmoreal. She felt as if she would be waiting forever for the travelers to arrive back from their long journey to the far off country of the Faerie Underworld. Princess Moanna had invited the King and several of his courtiers to come and establish trade routes. Alice would have loved to go but she was loaded with orders due to a wedding in the court that would take place in a matter of weeks. The bride had commissioned her to not only make a spectacular dress but also to design and create the gowns of her wedding party. It was exhausting work and Alice knew that she would always be able to go to the distant land another day. Tarrant had promised her as well as he began to pack up several hats he had made as well as bolts of fabric and accessories. He wanted to establish a secure trade with King Gavin; the King didn't mind having the trusted milliner by his side as well. With a kiss, Tarrant had departed his home and his wife for a month long journey.

Alice had completed many of the dresses due to the sleepless nights that she found with Tarrant gone. She felt so many emotions at once that she felt like she was going to burst. If she didn't drown herself in her tears of loneliness, she would bludgeon herself against a wall in boredom, or pop in extreme sexual frustration. Nothing proved as good as Tarrant as bringing her down from her desires; her own hands just didn't do a proper enough job.

She had sketched a calendar one evening not long after he left to count down the days he was gone and hung it proudly in their workshop. She would glance at it forlornly as she stitched the intricate jeweled design on the bodice of the wedding dress and faithfully checked it off after she had finished hemming the bride's maids dresses for the evening. She was growing impatient and her lines grew more numerous as something in her possessed her to begin to fill up more and more of the boxes.

Yesterday she had beamed with happiness that it was the final box and immediately began to try to find things to occupy her time. But only one thing would be able to distract her mind and help her focus, again something she found herself not able to concentrate on as she attempted to relieve herself. She had given up and caved in by taking a sleeping draught hoping to spend the hours unconscious instead of pacing.

She had awoken and quickly slipped into a powder blue, plain frock before running out of the bedroom in delight. Alice had skipped breakfast and immediately slipped her pale arched feet into ballet shoes, throwing her massive curls into a messy bun atop her head. She finished securing that as she rushed out the door, eager to get to Marmoreal.

She had made it to the door at record time only to cause more torture by pacing the halls in wait for his return. Alice found herself pausing every hour to listen for the trumpet announcing their arrival.

"Honestly, Alice." Mirana said with a laugh. "You are going to wear a hole in my foyer floor." She was sitting on a marble bench along the wall, patiently biding her time. Alice was about to say something snide back to her in her impatience but a trumpet sounded before she could get a sentence out.

"They're here!" She screamed and thrust open the doors. Mirana had insisted that they wait the hours in the cool of the marble walls of Marmoreal and she understood why now that the scorching heat of the day engulfed her. Alice ignored it and peered across the central road of the castle, spying a large party of horsemen and guards. Several carriages and wagons followed behind. She spied Gavin in the forefront, his crown glittering in the sun. As soon as the party made their way across the drawbridge, Alice took off running down the road. She kept her eyes peeled for her milliner as she entered the masses of men and a few women. They smelled of sweat and were no doubt exhausted from the tremendous heat. She was careful as she made her way among them to try not to flare any tempers. She had made her way through much of the party, her stomach in her throat, without any sign of Tarrant. Did he decide to stay in Faerie?

She was beginning to worry that he had not made it back when she spotted a familiar top hat coming towards her. She paused and let a few more people pass before she saw him. He wore a powder blue dress shirt, covered in sweat, and a royal purple waist coat atop it. He had no doubt shed his outer coat due to the heat. He didn't notice her until she came darting at him, flying into his arms. He caught her with a mad laugh and spun her, kissing the tender skin of her neck. Her fingers twined in his orange hair.

"I've missed you love," She said, taking his mouth in hers. Their tongues collided and he gave a firm pinch to her rear. She moaned at the feeling, knowing now she might seek relief.

"Ah've messed yeh, meh fair ohn," He pulled away from her mouth to burr before diving into her spit and tongue again. She groaned at his familiar taste as he kissed her, striding forward with her still in his arms. She hopped down as they entered the cool confines of the building. He smiled wanly at her and leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"Let's go tah teh closes' emp'y rohm an' Ah'll shew yeh 'ow much Ah've messed yeh," His hand went to caress and squeeze her clothed breast.

Alice smiled in agreement.


	18. Six Impossible Things

**Title: **_Six Impossible Things_

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #18; sweat

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Alice/Tarrant, Mirana, Iracebeth, Stayne, McTwisp, the Jabberwocky

**Rating/Warning(s): **K+ for themes :)

**Word Count: **824

**Summary: **Alice is facing something more terrifying than her nightmares.

The scene was quite on Alice as she stepped up to the battlefield. The army of red stood across the way on their appropriate chess blocks. Her heart was pounding in her ears and she didn't want to admit that she had agreed to such a crazy idea.

Especially after she had come to the reality that this was indeed real, not a dream her mind was making up to cope with her dismal world above.

She was about to face a Jabberwock to risk life and limb for a country she barely even knew; for people that she wasn't even sure supported her.

But she supposed _he _supported her. She had slid off the Bandersnatch to join him in the front lines of the battlefield. His claymore acted as a walking stick as he led her into battle (alright he led the whole army with her but she liked to think that he was focused on her) and he filled her mind with the muchness she had been lacking.

It wasn't time to focus on him, however. There was a grand foe afoot and she watched, heart pounding anew, as the Queens presented themselves in the middle of the battlefields. McTwisp blew his trumpet but she couldn't understand what they were saying between the pounding in her ears and her distance between them. It almost seemed as if Mirana was trying to talk her little sister out of battle. The only words she could make out came when Iracebeth lost her temper.

"NO! It IS MY CWOWN! I AM THE ELDEST!" She turned furiously. "JABBERWOCKY!"

She watched in dismay as Mirana backed away, returning to the front lines. To her horror something across the battlefield began to crawl from the ruins. Alice could feel her palms starting to sweat against the Vorpal. More beads were dripping down her forehead. The beast rose in the air in its dragon form roaring into the gray sky. Alice's felt as if she were going to faint.

"This is impossible," She said hopelessly.

"Only if you believe it is," A lisp came from her right and she felt his breath against her cheek. She felt her courage growing. The beast came toward her, its wings digging into the ground as it slowly began to build strength. She was delirious with fright, sweat even more profusely, and all she could think of was her father.

"Sometimes I believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast," She whispered, the breeze of the beast momentum tugging at her blonde hair. The sweat was causing her skin to become clammy which made her ill as her heart pounding a thousand miles a second.

"That is an excellent practice," He murmured to her. She heard his fabric rub as he moved and the change in his voice caused her heart to jump with a new excite. "However, jus' a' teh mohmen'- yeh rea'y migh' wan' tah focus on teh Jabberwocky." She turned to glance at him, confidence was crossing his gat toothed smile. He was ready for battle but as she looked back to the Jabberwocky proceeding closer she felt her heart in her throat. Was she? It burst apart trees, leaping some of their mangled trunks with ease. He was hundreds of yard closers and she saw for the first time just how big he was.

"Where is your Champion, sister?" Iracebeth whined. Alice took a deep breath and tried to focus on her muchness.

"Here," She marched forward. She could feel Mirana's smile as she walked by, she could hear the shifting of Tarrant's clothing again. She knew that he would jump into save her; there was something about the way he looked at her that made her think he might want her as more than a dear friend. She certainly wanted him in ways that weren't appropriate for her to think upon.

They were chased from her head as she saw the Jabberwocky creeping closer behind Iracebeth, a snarl on its fang. Her heart seemed to stop and she could hardly breathe with fear.

"Hello- 'Um'," The red queen snapped with disgust. She looked back to the Jabberwock that crawled across the dead ground, stretching its neck and letting out ferocious screams. Alice's armpits began to sweat, her back was dripping, and she even felt it in the crook of her elbows as she held the shield in her left and the sword in her right. The backs of her knees were even wet. She was trembling.

Iracebeth looked back with a smirk as she saw the Champion shaking with fear, she and Stayne stepping aside as the Red Champion stepped forward.

Though Alice was sweating more than she ever had in her life she felt something new rising in her heart.

She felt courage soaring into the place that terror was trying to suffocate.

"Six Impossible Things; count them Alice."

She was going to turn out alright.


	19. Solace in the Dark

**Title: **_Solace in the Dark_

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #19;

_In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer._  
>(Albert Camus)<p>

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Alice

**Rating/Warning(s): **K+ for themes

**Word Count: **511

**Summary: **Alice is growing out of childish adventures.

Alice was growing up; she couldn't deny it any longer. It wasn't so much that she had grown taller, her hips had grown outward, or that she developed round little mounds upon her chest. It was the continual reminder that she was to give up her title as the Queen of Childish Behavior.

She was severely punished for jumping the nanny now. She was no longer allowed to run outside in the fields behind their manor in order to merely feel the wind in her hair. She was kept inside to learn piano, to learn how to dance.

The day she earned her first corset was the one she cursed. She had all her girly ones stripped from her and she was tied tightly into the new binding her mother had ordered from France just for her thirteenth birthday. Alice didn't feel like she was growing up- she merely felt as if she was being caged in.

Even her father who encouraged her bright eyed daydreams when she was younger could not deny that the time was coming to behave more like a proper lady. The time for childish dreams and the time for thoughts of a hopeful future were dawning on Alice's day.

She cursed the idea strongly and sometimes when her mother and father were to the doctor (for he had gotten very sick) she would skip her needlepoint lessons and sneak out into the hedge maze; losing herself among the twists and turns.

Her father's illness was causing her to grow up; when he died she knew that the chapter of childhood had finally closed. She had witnessed the thing which was being taken from her- Time. It was only a matter of time before she was married, before she was pregnant, before she had a family, and then they buried her in the ground. It was a very sobering and lonely thought.

And in all that Time, Alice knew that she would never fit in.

But sometimes, when she was lying in bed thinking about her father and tears were in her green eyes, she returned to her wonderland. A place where death seemed so eminent but it never came near enough. Its lips brushed her but she still felt an odd sort of protection.

She concentrated on the warm, sunny skies of her dreamland. The tangy smell of the flowers that surrounded her as she walked down the path. She would have tea with a Mad Hatter and his friends; blushing at how she pictured a wild romance now that she had grown and fancied the idea of love. She took the pig baby from the Duchess and finally set him free. She conversed with the Queen of White, snickering about the fool headed nature of her sister, the Queen of Red. She would lament with the Mock Turtle, quadrille with the Lobsters, and contemplate with the Unicorn over what was real.

She was about to find solace in the middle of hardship. It was what kept her going even when the night seemed its darkest.


	20. Always Missing You

**Title: **_It Was Always Missing You_

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #20; picture of a boy before a boat sailing on a sea at sunset

**Fandom: ** Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Alice/Tarrant

**Rating/Warning(s): **K

**Word Count: **348

**Summary: **Watching the setting sun.

Alice sat on one of the piers of the Crimson Sea. Her knees were drawn up to her chest and she hugged her calves tightly as she rested her chin upon her bent legs. She felt the closeness of a hand behind her as Tarrant sat to her right; his legs hung over the edge of the wooden dock, his bare toes tickling the waves of the aquamarine ocean. He was leaning back and relaxing as he watched the sunset with her; the reds and oranges mixing with the azure sky. She glanced over to him with a warm grin as she watched the fading rays of light cross his pale face; mixing with the shades that marked his eyes and cheek bones. He noticed her watching out of the corner of his eye and joined her in her warm smiles.

"What do you think?" He gestured out toward the sea.

"It's breathtaking." She continued to look at him.

"What of your sunsets over the oceans? Surely you've seen many of them crossing the sea to that foreign place-" He trailed off trying to recall the name. She could hear him struggling under his breath.

"China," She smiled. "Yes the sunsets were nice. But they were always missing something," She unfurled her legs and sidled closer to him, letting her calves fall over the edge of the boat and dance above the undulating surface of the Crimson Sea.

"Missing something?" His thick eyebrows crossed as he bent his head to look at her. She watched as a boat came into toward the shore and let out a sigh. She leaned the back of her blonde curled head against the powder blue shirt he wore, resting her body against his. He sat up, resting his chin on the crown of her curls, wrapping an arm around her waist. She took hold of his hand that rest on the curve of her hip. Smiling out to the sea she whispered.

"It was always missing someone to watch it with." She felt him grip her hand. "It was always missing you."


	21. Change in Routine

**Title: **_Change in Routine_

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #21; storm

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Alice/Tarrant

**Rating/Warning(s): **K

**Word Count: **698

**Summary: **Rain can slow life down.

The lightening split the gray sky as the rain pounded against the dirt path that led from the house. Alice sighed as she was stuck inside another day; horrible summer storms passing their way through the Tugley Woods. The droplets lashed the windows harshly blurring the line between trees and earth in the glass. It was one giant kaleidoscope.

Tarrant had gone out into the maddening storm earlier this morning with deliveries to make and she had tried to insist that he stay back; not worry about the people who were probably snuggling against the fire anyways. But he had ignored her sound advice reminding her how he could be just as stubborn as she. So she had resided herself to baking a cake because she was bored and because she was angry. Was there more need for a decision?

However, the cake now sat neglected on the counter, iced and waiting for someone to eat it. But she couldn't bear the thought of eating it alone; no matter how angry she was at her husband's firm foot she loved him all the same. So she resided to waiting and hemming the dress of her own creation. Her legs were crossed underneath her airy tulle gown and she had pulled her hair up into a high bun upon her scalp. Her foot bouncing as it kept time to the ticking of the mantel clock.

She didn't move until she heard the sound of horses whinnying and snorting but even then she only made motion to remove the work from her lap. He would need to put them in their proper places before he came in from the thrashing storm in order to receive shelter. She held her breath in waiting until she heard him bursting through the door. She greeted him in the foyer with quick hands; loosening his cravat, ripping away his outer coat. He was soaked to the bone and she made swift use of her nimble hands as she worked free his vest and stripped it from him. He began to unbutton his shirt; shivering from the cold rain drops. She ran to the washroom and grabbed his green dressing gown. Returning she gave it to him as he wrapped his naked, wet body in the soft fabric. He sighed in relief and she gathered his wet clothing in her arms, bringing them to the sitting room where she leaned them over the fire screen where they could be dried by the exuding heat.

Tarrant had followed wordless, obviously tired and worn out from the lashing rainstorm he had come through. She, just as quiet, led him to the couch and had him sit. He collapsed and she grabbed his hat before he fell all the way back, placing it on the mantel. He smiled up at her gratefully. Leaning over she pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"You know what my mother always did during rainstorms?" He whispered. She looked at him inquisitively. "She read us stories to bide the time."

She let her lips curl in a smile and then proceeded from the room. Quickly she prepared a piece of cake for him and went to her room to fetch a book of adventure. She grabbed the plate from the kitchen table before making her way back to the living room.

"I have a surprise for you," She smiled and revealed the cake. He looked at it lustfully and drew his knees up before him on the couch. He sat upright before taking his cake. She then took the book in her hands as she sat on the cushion next to him. Opening the first page she began.

"Captain Jack Sparrow wasn't an ordinary pirate; he held a great secret."

She glanced to see Tarrant pause in his dessert in order to lean forward to listen more intently. She loved this moment. She loved the rain.

It always caused things to slow down and change routine in her life. A warm fire, an exciting tale, and a piece of cake were a treat after months of working, waiting, and wishing.

It was causing her to really slow down and smell the gossiping flowers.


	22. King and Queen of the Dark

**Title: **_The King and Queen of the Dark_

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #22;

_In winter I get up at night  
>And dress by yellow candle-light.<br>In summer quite the other way  
>I have to go to bed by day.<em>  
>(Bed in Summer by Robert Louis Stevenson)<p>

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Alice/Tarrant

**Rating/Warning(s): **T for sensuality, mention of _Mad Sort of Love _Canon

**Word Count: **818

**Summary: **Routines and Ranks change in the Warm Nights of Summer

Alice held her fingers out and watched in wonder as a small lantern fly rested upon it's small round nail. The warm air of the summer night protected her from chill as she sat in a strapless blue and white striped tulle creation of her own hands. She was lounging on a blanket beneath a giant tree; Tarrant had brought her here to spend time alone. Summer had been filled with celebrations of victories and friends that went long into the cooler nights; requiring its attendees to sleep long into the afternoon of the next day. They rose only after the heat of the sun had subsided. Summer was a time where waking during the day was unnecessary and living a lunar lifestyle was more comfortable. How many nights had bore stars lit by a Cheshire cat Moon and littered with thousands of diamond stars.

Tarrant had even gone to making his hats right before dinner and laboring until a little eight; shorter work times but he was able to work quickly not needing to be bundled and hindered by copious amounts of clothing. Most days he sat in the workshop in his trousers for the circulation was poor. Not that Alice minded. She would join him in an airy dress as she would create new style for the court. Together they put in their work efforts so that later in the night they could dance and sing with their friends. Summer had changed their habits along with their desires.

Alice had spent a day or two in the workshop stark naked; which led to much less fabric work getting done and much more lustful activities taking the forefront. But it was hot during the late afternoon and sitting in the nude was much more pleasant on some of the sweltering days than sitting in a dress. She was alone with her husband in her home; she had her liberties which is gladly took.

Perhaps living a life of the night was much more pleasant during the summer as well because that was when the magic came alive. Not the magicks of course that Mirana practiced and was training a young Lily up in. No; the breathtaking beauty of nature that was covered in mud in the long months of rain in the fall and then wiped clean with the chilled snow of winter. It was easier to sleep in the winter months when the sun had fallen and frost had overtaken their kitchen.

But here, Alice sat in the midst of natural perfection. With a little help of Tarrant in some areas she couldn't deny. He had hung paper lanterns he had traded several hats for in the court from an artist; he had described the lights Alice had told him about that appeared in China. In the heat of the day, while she was sleeping, he had snuck out of the house and hung them all over the extending limbs of the giant oak. She sat underneath their creamy glow where the laternflies danced about her head and made a tiara upon her golden curls.

He had also purchased cordial and brought it with them tonight. They sat regally with their glass wine cups sipping the dark liquid and laughing as the soothing drink brought about high spirits. They had down the entire bottle before long which led to them sitting on the blanket, Alice more in Tarrant's lap, kissing and caressing. She was wet with perspiration and sexual desire. They would make love no doubt in the soft fertile grasses that lay illuminated below the twinkling branches. It was peaceful here. It was her realm; she the Queen of the Night Air. A cacophony of crickets and frogs filled the serene dark air, Alice leaned over to press her lips to Tarrant's. He kissed back and gently began to undo her light dress. She would bear no underclothes beneath for the air was still too warm for need of them. She never seemed to wear clothing in their quiet nights anyways. He had come only in trousers and they would soon join her dress in a pile.

Tomorrow night would come another feast in Marmoreal, the night after that a Midnight Tea Party with dear old friends.

Alice loved living in the secret of the moon and deep down she wished summer would never end.

But routine would need to return and work would need to be done. Just as life was a season always changing so were her days of sleeping during the day. She would return to the sun in a couple months time only remembering the hours spent relishing the night.

She tucked her body into Tarrant's as he massaged her soft skin with rough, skilled hands and sighed in delight.

They would be for this season and all the summers to come The King and Queen of The Hours of Darkness.


	23. Fault Lines

**Title: **_Fault Lines_

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: ** Blue Skies #23: picture of baked and cracked soil

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Iracebeth of Crims

**Rating/Warning(s): **K+ for abstract ideas

**Word Count: **278

**Summary: **A new House of Insanity

The faults in the sand were the faults in her mind. They had begun as little crevices as they began to crack under the pressure of the light.

She had cracked under the pressure of perhaps not a light. But it was most certainly the pressure of those eyes that watched her like lights.

They had judged her when she was little; she was impulsive and haughty when she was younger. But she had always done her best to try to do what they said! She had dressed properly, learned how to eat with three different types of spoons, drew her screaming red hair up into painful and intricate fashion, worn her corsets, endured her stockings.

She had been a good girl. But something under the pressure had cracked. Chipped in the motion of living.

That's when things began to fall. The lines in the sand echoed the lines in her head. She wasn't crazy; she was broken. She had faults and crevices all through her logic. She was uneven. It wasn't her doing! It was the pressure!

No one was going to hear it. She had usurped her sister, she had taken hundreds of heads, she had threatened Alice. She was unredeemable.

So she sat in her dress decorated with hearts (something she had certainly lost in the creases of her madness) with red and white and yellow colors. They were covered in brown. Everything white was covered in brown. She was becoming more like the earth she resembled.

The shackle on her right wrist only brought back the memories.

The fallen monarch was forced to reside in her Desert of Iracebeth until the day she died.


	24. Blindfold

**Title: **_Blindfold_

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies Prompt #24; scent

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Tarrant/Alice; Mirana/OC (Gavin)

**Rating/Warning(s): **K+ for drug reference. Includes one of _my _canon's OCs.

**Word Count: **645

**Summary: **Alice has lost her sight and must rely on her sense of smell

Alice felt the regal armchair come to catch her fall as she was ushered into the seat. She had to be ushered because a large black blindfold covered her eyes. She could see nothing of the world before her. All she could do was rely on her senses.

Her hearing wasn't very helpful; it was the normal sounds of Tugley Woods. Birds chirped within the branches and she heard the soft flutter of their feathers as they flew from one branch to another.

She hadn't tasted anything but the heat of the golden summer afternoon. It would be nearly dusk soon and she was awaiting the unveiling of the stars. The only problem being that right now she couldn't see them.

She felt the rough, worn table cloth beneath the soft pads of her finger tips; a stain or two made the surface uneven.

But what she could smell! What she inhaled as she took a deep breath in.

It began with the sweet scent of the flowers; especially the exotic lunar buds that opened only when dusk was near. Their honey scent wafted through the gently breeze that tickled her cheek. Along with it can the strong, bitter smell of tea only to be softened by the soft scent of sugar. She could smell the cream that Thackery had just announced he had spilled and caught a hint of Tarrant as he brushed by her to mend the mess. He smelled of a combination of tea, mercury, sweets, and perspiration.

She exhaled fully before taking another gulp of the wind and found to her delight when she did so that the scent of heavy icing could be smelled in the heat of the dying day. The smell grew stronger only to be soon joined by a smell of poppies. It was Mirana; Mirana always smelled like opium to her. A dangerous but sweet escape of a friend she was.

"When can I take this off?" She cried.

"It's nearly time," A deep voice that belonged to Gavin joined the ranks. She tried to see if she could smell him and was delighted to find that when she concentrated she could. The scent of soap, woods, and a tinge of cinnamon marked his body.

"Are you ready, Alice?" She heard Tarrant's soft lips.

"I feel as if I am missing something!" She cried. She felt the tug of the handkerchief against the back of her head as it was being loosened but a cry from Mirana stopped it from falling from her eyes.

A _whoosh _was followed by a flick and the unmistakable scent of heated wax filled the air. She could feel warmth dancing upon her cheeks.

"Alright," Mirana commanded. The blindfold dropped and she was given sight. Before her lay a beautiful cake; it was covered in thick white frosting and delicately piped powder blue roses and ribbons decorated its pale designs. Upon one of the tiers (for it had exactly four) was inscribed:

_Happy Alice Day._

Alice gasped in delight and felt Tarrant's arms wrap around her shoulders as he roughly kissed her cheek.

"We want to remember the day you returned to us, Champion Alice," Gavin spoke up. "Four years ago. Alice Day is now an official holiday."

Alice blushed at the compliment and felt much too ordinary to accept this. But she knew the royals would not allow her to decline.

"Thank you so much," She stood to hug Gavin and place a cheek up the Queen's face.

"The cake looks wonderful; I say it is time we eat." Mirana gestured with her delicate hand toward the table.

"It smells even better." Alice smiled as she watched Thackery come close with a knife (which brought a slight sense of worry in her gut) to cut the cake.

Alice's nose did her well; the cake was far too heavenly to describe.


	25. Becoming a Lady

**Title: **_Be a Lady_

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #25;

_If you just hold in your breath  
>'Til you come back up in full<br>Hold in your breath  
>'Til you thought it through<br>You foolish child_  
><em><strong>Genius Next Door<strong>_ by Regina Spektor

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Alice Kingsleigh, Margaret Kingsleigh, Charles Kingsleigh

**Rating/Warning(s): **K; pre movie

**Word Count: **780

**Summary: **Hold your temper!

Alice had always been the most stubborn little child. At least that was what her mother told her. One thing that she always had as well was a temper. She often got in trouble for it and usually it was because she went off on her sister Margaret.

Today was no different; Margaret had spent the morning becoming positively irritating while Alice had tried her best to enjoy her breakfast. Their father had come home from a weeklong trip to London and she was itching to be in his company. She wanted to ask him about all the interesting people he had met and the size of the buildings and what were the colors that had become so attractive these days. But all Margaret wanted to talk about was boring things like politics. She hated that her sister was so much older than she; all she wanted to talk about was who was running the country now.

"Who cares!" Alice had cried and Margaret had glanced out of the corner of her eyes at her sister.

"That is _very_ unpatriotic of you. A lady should be patriotic."

"Since when have I cared about being a lady?" Alice huffed and pouted into her Eggs Benedict.

During the afternoon her sister had insisted they do their studies and not play in the warm summer air that tickled Alice until she was ready to burst out sprinting into the meadows. Margaret had trapped her there with the stuffy old governess who didn't care much for Alice. Alice assumed it was because last week she insisted on imitating an angry hawk and had attacked the teacher as her prey. She had gotten a wallop for that act.

"A woman needs to be able to speak French and play piano." Her sister had encouraged. Alice had enough about being a lady. She didn't want to be a lady ever!

"What will you be, then, Alice? A little girl?" She laughed with a shake of her head. "The Darlings, the family in London that dad knows, their little girl Wendy went on forever about Never Never Land. But then know what happened, Alice?"

"She fell down a rabbit hole properly?" She responded.

"You are such an ignoramus." Margaret rolled her eyes. "She. Grew. Up." Margaret popped her 'P' very loudly and it sent Alice off. With a scream she pounced her sister and began to beat her with her small fists. The governess panicked at the commotion and went running into the house. When she returned she was tailed by two parents. Alice had managed to rip Margaret's hair out of its twist and was pulling it fiercely, gnashing her teeth menacingly. Margaret was crying out in pain and rage as she tried to wrestle her dark locks back from Alice.

"Alice Kingsleigh!" Her father roared and his large hands grabbed the girl by her midsection. She was still thrashing in the air when he had detangled her from her sister; screaming irately.

She didn't stop until her father brought her into her room, set her over his lap, and thrashed her quite sternly. Only then did she cease her cries of protest and became silent.

When he had finished he set her on the bed and looked into her green eyes.

"What was all that about?" He asked. She pouted.

"Margaret keeps telling me what to do all the time and it's so frustrating." She whined.

"It's because she loves you; she wants to make sure that you are growing up correctly. However," He leaned forward and placed a kiss on the face of teary Alice. "Your definitions are different."

"I just want her to shut up."

"And she just wants you to obey." He said. "You are going to disagree with people, Alice, but you can't go flying off the handle. You need to reign in your energy for the proper time."

"But how can I?"

"By holding your breath in until you've thought of the right things to say, until you know you aren't going to explode." He whispered and touched the tip of her nose. "It takes practice but I am sure you'll get it."

It took Alice much practice but even Charles had noticed that his emotive daughter was more calm in her demeanor. She only attacked her sister twice that week. The next week it didn't happen at all much to Helen's delight.

Alice was learning to control her temper. To reign it all in until it was time.

She wouldn't admit it but in doing so Alice knew she was becoming more like a lady.

But it was on her terms. And it was an _Alice _kind of lady.


	26. Sense for a Change

**Title: **_Sense for a Change _

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #26; cars on a Midwest highway in the heat of the day

**Fandom: **_Alice in Wonderland 2010_

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Alice

**Rating/Warning(s): **K+

**Word Count: **260

**Summary: **Alice is left to find her own way.

Alice was tired of being shrunk and being stretched. She was being given completely awful directions and everyone insisted she wasn't the "Right Alice."

Who, or what, exactly, was the right Alice? She wanted to give them all a good piece of her mind. But instead she kept her tongue as her anger brewed in her heart. She was too tired to deal with conflict and much too discombobulated to figure out on her own where she needed to go.

Why, exactly, was she here? She fell down a rabbit hole and hit her head. She was sleeping no doubt but why was it that her dreams always brought her back here?

Not in the mood to question her sanity she looked down the dirt road before her with a sigh. She had arrived as the day was just beginning and now the harsh sun beat down on her as she stumbled down the road. She could see the heat rising in dancing waves from the crumbling soil. She was hungry and filthy, much too small as well. She had two boys helping her (Tweedles Dee and Dum? She couldn't quite remember right now) but they had been snatched by that perfectly ugly bird and swooped away. Now she was left on her own to clamber through the intense heat of the walk to nowhere.

She wiped a stray tear from her green eye and sniffed loudly. Trudging forward she lamented aloud to whatever was listening around her.

"It would be nice if something would make sense for a change!"


	27. Corsets

**Title: **_Corsets_

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #27; freedom

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Alice Kingsleigh

**Rating/Warning(s): **K

**Word Count: **208

**Summary: **She destroys the chains that bind her.

Corsets. Codfishes. They were one in the same to Alice. They bound her tightly together, made her body conform to the expectations of others. When she wore them she was nothing but a figure to be told what to do and how to behave.

They squeezed tightly around her ribs taking hold of her breathing. She wasn't able stroll quickly through the garden much less run wildly through the fields. The sharp pinching of her waist reminded her of the leash it held tightly in her life. When she wore it she was controlled by everything around her.

Once Alice fell down that rabbit hole she knew that this was going to end. There would be no more binds to hold her back. She was the one that chose the door and the path. She was the one in control of her life.

When she returned home that evening she marched straight up into her room and threw open the doors to the armoire. Taking her several corsets in hand she crossed the room to the fire that blazed warming the quarters. She smiled as she tossed her chains into the fire.

She was free. She wasn't going to let anything stop her from remaining liberated any longer.


	28. Only Who I Want To Be

**Title: **_Only Who I Want To Be_

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies Prompt #28;

_Tis the last rose of summer  
>Left blooming alone;<br>All her lovely companions  
>Are faded and gone;<br>No flower of her kindred,  
>No rosebud is nigh,<br>To reflect back her blushes,  
>To give sigh for sigh.<em>  
>(<em>The Last Rose of Summer<em> by Thomas Moore)

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Alice Kingsleigh

**Rating/Warning(s): **K

**Word Count: **419

**Summary: **The season of properness kills the blooming ladies.

Alice sat primly in the wire chair that uncomfortably provided a place for her rear to sit. She was in the midst of lessons with some of her friends under the instruction of the Chattaways proper French instructor. She had been teaching them for several weeks the proper behavior of an aristocratic woman. They learned how to twirl their fans to invite a gentleman closer as well as designing and creating their own calling cards. Today the girls were immersed in the older woman's explanation of proper discussion.

"One mus' never speak outright of zer neighbor," Her thick accent always fascinated Alice as she fanned her face trying to keep cool in the blazing sun. "Zey must azk only polite questions. Notzing about 'ow zey are courting zhis man or zhat one."

"But how are we to know who is accompanying who?" Faith Chattaway inquired with a raise of her delicately gloved hand.

"By observing and azking only innocent questions. We do not put down our fellow ladiez with wordz. We put them down with the haughty glance." The teacher said gently. "We also do not speak of politics or theology." She looked to Alice sternly.

"Why are you giving _me _a haughty glance, governess?" Alice asked tartly.

"Zou would be a girl 'o triez to azk 'orrible questions," She interjected.

"Because I am inquisitive about the world? Because I don't walk around in your little masquerade of friends who pretend to be loyal? Nay, governess, I shall partake in none of this lady like business!" She cried and stood up with gusto.

"And zhat, Alice, iz why you will never become a proper lady," The woman's dark eyes stared the woman down.

"That is why I shall always flourish as a child," She corrected her and stamped off into the garden. The summer sun was blinding hot and she was not going to return to lessons of betrayal and guise. She wanted to live her life purely; like the rays of the beating sun. Transparent and light.

She wasn't going to wither and die away like the other buds of girls had bloomed into the joy of a short flowery womanhood only to be choked away by the season of lady lessons. Alice would be the last rose to bloom.

Her lovely companions may have died at the coming of the icy reality of becoming a proper woman. But Alice had only just begun to bloom.

And she was intending on becoming only who she wanted to be.


	29. Gateway of Limitless Adventure

**Title: **___Gateway of Limitless Adventure _

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #29; Two Rocking Chairs on a Porch

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Tarrant/Alice Hightopp; future setting, includes things not yet revealed in _Thru the Mirror _(not full spoilers but could be confusing?), my canon for _Mad Sort of Love_

**Rating/Warning(s): **K+ for subject matter

**Word Count: **938

**Summary: **Tarrant and Alice know Time is coming for them.

Alice was tired as she gently pushed herself with her toes on the rocking chair. Her silver gray curls fell over her slumped shoulders untidily; she'd been too pained that morning to fix them properly. No one would come out to the Tugley Woods to visit her today anyways. The only person she had to worry about seeing her was her husband. And through a century of marriage he had seen her much worse.

She glanced over to him now where he sat watching the sun begin to set over the trees. He had deep lines were laughs had etched their places on his smooth face to remind him that he had the good times to relish in; not the bad to mourn over. His own salt and pepper locks dropped a bit as if they were too tired to support their springy weight anymore.

Time was coming; they had avoided him for a very long time and Alice was grateful. But she was ready to begin a grand new adventure into a place she knew she would never return to. She felt a slight bit of fear fluttering in her abdomen as she thought about it but reaching her wizened, frail hand out to grab her husband's she found the muchness she needed.

Alice had lived her life's potential to its fullest; she had changed and influences so many people and places. She had found the man that stood by her through life's roughest storms, holding her tightly, as well as rejoiced with her in their wondrous moments of victory. He had been her muchness and her weakness. He had helped her conceive, deliver, and raise their finest six impossibles who now were creating their own legacies in Underland.

They had done all they could. Both knew it was Time to move on. So they whispered to the man and he, of course, agreed with them.

"We still don't know when, do we?" He pondered; his voice worn and ragged, his eyes a little less dull. She didn't answer him for he already knew the answer. She just squeezed his hand.

Tarrant and Alice sat on their rocking chairs on the front porch of their Windmill house that had grown with the addition of six children, pets, and the daily course of living. It had always been her home in Underland and she knew she was going to pass on in its depths. That's why she and Tarrant hadn't left for several weeks. Mirana was in no condition to see them, the looks of their wizened faces cut her deeply. She wasn't ready for death for she was convinced she would never see it all.

"We weren't meant to see it all, else we'd been born at the beginning." Alice had tried to assure her but the Queen held her staunch views. Respectfully Alice had let the woman continue to remain youthful as she and Tarrant began to show the years they had accumulated.

Now they were too tired and too attached to leave their home in case something would happen. They spent their hours on the front porch; sometimes talking, sometimes reminiscing, sometimes reading, and sometimes in silence for they knew what the other was thinking. Their children and grandchildren had come to visit on occasion; they had been here earlier in the morning. Alice smiled as she recalled the number of gingers sprouting up in the branching family.

"I feel like it's going to be soon. Adventure is itching in my bones." Tarrant pulled her from her trance and she smiled.

"I am so tired," She finally sighed and he squeezed her hand.

"Let's just sit and watch the sunset." He murmured.

Together the two watched the sun fall behind the trees igniting the sky with oranges and reds and pinks. It was breath taking and Alice was waiting for night to fall to sprinkle the darkness with twinkle diamonds.

But the night never came. She had closed her eyes, for what she thought was only a second, and reopened them to see a blonde haired girl standing before her. A pitch black door was behind her.

"Helena," She breathed and embraced her daughter. The girl looked behind her with a smile and as soon as she was done embracing her mother, she held out her arms.

"Father." Was all she said. With a tear streaked face the younger looking Tarrant embraced the woman in a hug, sobbing. She shushed him and stroked his back. "There is no more need for tears," She turned to the door that lay behind her. Placing her hand on the knob she twisted it and portal sprung open.

"Come, everyone is waiting." She said softly. Tarrant smiled to Alice as he wiped away her tears. The woman glanced back toward the red door that lay behind her. She would miss what she had experienced behind that wood but a new adventure lay behind this door.

She took Tarrant's hand in her young smooth one and both followed Helena through the black door.

Alice would never be able to describe the place that grew behind that door. All she could properly say was that her mother and father were there, as were the entire Hightopp clan; though they had all returned to a state of youthfulness. The two new Hightopps were greeted with hoorahs and hugs. They had returned home and they would never have to say goodbye to these people again.

For you see, Alice could not properly explain what she saw and experienced; for one cannot understand until they too have passed through that gateway to limitless adventures.


	30. The World is My Lesson

**Title: **_The World is My Lesson_

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #30; ennui

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Alice Kingsleigh, Margaret Kingsleigh

**Rating/Warning(s): **K

**Word Count: **442

**Summary: **Alice interrupts again.

"Her ennui was marked by the way she dropped her head-"

"What is _ennui_?" Alice interrupted her sister. Margaret let out an exasperated sigh as her little sister interrupted the tale once more with a question.

"Honestly Alice, how are you going to learn if you don't shut your mouth and pay attention?" Margaret glared down at her blonde little sister who was braiding daisies together into another of her signature crowns.

"How am I supposed to learn if I don't understand half of what you are saying?" Alice retorted with a nasty facial expression.

"Fine; _ennui_ means to be uninterested. To be bored." She said as her sister weaved together the last of the cloud white flowers.

"Well this lesson is completely _ennui_," Alice harrumphed as she placed the train of daisies upon her head.

"You can't use the word that way, Alice. It isn't proper." Margaret glanced up haughtily from the book. "Perhaps if you paid more attention in school you'd actually know."

"But lessons and schooling are so boring!" Alice shouted.

"Boring is what you make of it." Her sister remarked. Alice stood up vehemently and shot her arms out, spinning in a circle.

"The world is my classroom."

"Well the wind is going to teach you correct grammar or spelling. Now _sit down_, Alice. We are nearly done!" The darker haired woman yanked roughly on her sister's blue skirt.

"This is all just a waste of my time," Alice reluctantly sank back into the grass, her arms crossed behind her head as she studied the blue sky. "I'm just going to live in a world all by myself and no one will be able to tell me what to do, what to eat, or even command me to go to bed on time."

"And you will end up in a sanatorium like Aunt Imogene." Margaret sighed down at her sister, resting the book in her laps. "Really, Alice, I know that you enjoy all these mind games but please concentrate on your lesson today. I am not going to force you to grow up or anything but you are disappointing so many with your adolescent behavior."

"I don't mean to make people sad with me," Alice sat up and looked at her sister.

"Well then let's get back to our lessons," The older sister picked up the book once again, pausing to locate the place where she had been interrupted.

"And I shall just sit here in a state of ennui." Her sister collapsed back into the grass. Margaret hid at faint trace of smile by pushing the book closer as she found her sister's frustration slightly amusing.


	31. The Promise

**Title: **_The Promise_

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Blue Skies #31;

_Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling  
>From glen to glen, and down the mountain side<br>The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying  
>'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide<em>.  
>(<em>Danny Boy<em> by Frederic Weatherly)

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Tarrant, Alice, implied Talice

**Rating/Warning(s): **K+ for mild language, angst

**Word Count: **564

**Summary: **She raised the vial with the bloody lilac liquid to her lips

Tarrant watched in horror as she raised the vial with the bloody lilac liquid to her lips. He couldn't control himself; he hadn't wanted to make a big deal out of this but it was instinct. He wanted to keep her around.

"You _could_ stay," He hadn't realized the thought had leaked through his cherry lips until he saw her face.

"What an idea," She capped the bottle with her thumb and turned to look up into his face. A ghost of a smile passed her lips as her green eyes met his. "A crazy, mad, wonderful idea,"

Hope brewed in his heart as he saw her eyes brighten with the thought and her thumb pressed harder on the silver cap of the bottle. A smile crossed his mouth at the thought of his Alice staying. It was almost too much to take in.

But it went wrong just as suddenly. Her slight grin had dropped into a pensive grimace and her gaze fell.

"But I can't," The words of reality rung through his head, bouncing off the empty walls of his mind. "There are questions I have to answer, thing I have to do." His smile fell into a blank emotionless face as he watched her uncap the bottle. The _pop _it made as the seal released yet again made his stomach burn.

He cursed the blood as she brought it to her lips and poured it down her luxurious throat. A throat he would have loved to pepper with kisses, a mouth he would have loved to fill with his own brand of poison.

She had drank the forbidden food and she was looking at him now with assurance.

"I'll be back before you know it," Such hope in that gentle voice. But he knew better. To believe in her return was to set himself up for heart break.

"You won't remember me," He corrected her, glancing down the waist that he would have loved to wrap his arm around, to the thighs he longed to stroke. He would not have Alice; that was getting too much of what he wanted. He would be resigned to living at the tea table for the rest of Underland drinking the bitter steaming liquid and living in a memory. Repeated until Time had been satisfied enough to take him back to his family.

Her face fell in disappointment and she looked him square in the eyes. "Of course I will. How could I forget?"

He knew he would never forget her.

"Hatter," She said reproachfully. He looked to her waiting for her to finish her thought. "Why _is _a raven like a writing desk?" She asked.

"I haven't the slightest idea." He admitted with a sad smile. He wanted to kiss her, her wanted to pick her up and bring her to his home. Marry her; be with her until the end of their days, until Time brought them home.

But all he could do was lean forward close to her and whisper.

_Fairfarren, Alice_

And with the goodbye, the wish of safe travels, she began to fade. Her body becoming a colorless ghost before him until at that was left was her green eyes staring him back.

With those eyes his heart beat a little faster in its depression.

In those eyes was a promise. A promise that indeed, one day she would return.


	32. Home at Last

**Title: **_Home At Last _

**Author: **thelovelylydia

**Prompt: **Last Blue Skies- #32; heart etched in the sand being erased by the tide

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010 Fringe

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **Alice/Tarrant

**Rating/Warning(s): **T for sexual innuendo

**Word Count: **341

**Summary: **Alice has found her home

Alice traced her finger in the damp sand to draw trace another shape in the cool moist soil as the day was drawing to a close. It had been a glorious week for her as she spent it strolling the beaches and flirting in the water with Tarrant. It was drawing to a close, however, and it was time to return to other responsibilities much to their chagrin.

Time always seemed to move too quickly, even down here, but she had a life time and above to join. Age didn't work as it did in England; it was mysterious and magical and easily avoided if one knew how to tickle Time's fancy.

So she knew that she should not grieve the closing of this day. She knew that there would be more hours to spend another month dancing in the frothy waves of the undulating tide. Move love could be made in the oceans and in the dunes. There would be more memories of sunsets melting into the endless ocean as the time passed.

Alice had found her wonderland, her place where she would remain satisfied forever. Or at least until she let Time catch her.

With a smile she finish connect the heart she had traced near the waves, standing to admire her work and brush her hands upon her skirt.

"It's beautiful, my fair one," A hand came to massage her shoulder and lips came to caress her neck. She watched in bittersweet happiness as the ocean began to wash away the shape. Taking it into the waters to later evaporate into the sky which would turn it into raindrops...

Alice turned to kiss Tarrant full on the mouth, his arms encircling her waist.

And then her love would rain all over Underland; her home at last.


End file.
